Do More Than Fiddle Around

Do More Than Fiddle Around

A violin can be an intimidating musical instrument – it’s beautiful to look at and listen to but a violin requires an extraordinary amount of education and discipline to be played properly. If you’re thinking of taking violin lessons but feel anxious about it, familiarize yourself with the instrument. Here’s an introduction to the art of playing the violin.

As you probably know, a violinist rests his or her chin and left shoulder on the conveniently named “shoulder rest” of the violin and sounds the instrument by plucking the strings and/or drawing a bow across them. One reason a violin is so much more difficult to play than a guitar or other stringed instrument, is there are no frets. A violinist must finger a string ever so precisely.

A violin player uses his or her left hand to pluck the strings; beginners might want to put pieces of tape on the instrument to show where notes are located, so they can place their fingers in the correct spots. Moreover, for purposes of learning proper hand placement, a person’s index finger is labeled “1,” and his or her pinky finger is as expected, “4” – in most instructional booklets, the notes to be played are accompanied by numbers for suggested fingering. There are then various positions of your left hand that you will learn; you will most likely start at first position.

But what do you use your right hand for? And what about the bow? Basically, your left hand creates the pitches, while your right hand or bow is responsible for the tone, rhythm, dynamics, and articulation of the music.

Once you understand how to read violin music, you can then learn all sorts of ways to pluck the strings, as well as multiple bowing techniques. Soon enough you’ll be ready to experiment with the different styles of music, like classical, jazz, and folk (or fiddling).

Learning to play the violin is a rewarding hobby. Lots of people can play the piano, and even more can play the guitar. But how many people can say they are a violinist?

BONUS : Do You Have What It Takes To Learn To Read Music?

You probably remember those dreaded aptitude tests in school. You know,
those tests that revealed your abilities to perform certain tasks?

Well, it's time to stop dreaming, and put your desire to learn music to the test.

The desire for music is within you, but do you really have what it takes to learn to read music? Discover your own musical capabilities below.

Musical Talent or Not - Does it Matter?

You may not be able to read music right now. You most likely cannot pick up a flute, a guitar or a violin and play a beautiful melody. Even so, everyone around you is always saying how musically talented you are.

Perhaps you can memorize musical tunes on key upon hearing them, create an original song in your mind, or maybe even play an instrument or two without really knowing how to read the music. These are all indications of having natural musical talent.

But, do you have the potential to achieve music?

Even if you have none of the musical abilities above, you can still learn to read music.

Where "natural talent" doesn't exist, learned musical skills can still be used to make beautiful music. Your love and desire for learning and achieving music is what will make the difference whether you have natural talent or not.

Think of your present career. If you pursued what you loved, you were able to
achieve the skill through learning, right? If you're a typist, you learned to type.

If you're a nurse, you went to nursing school.. If you're a mechanic, you attended
a technical school to achieve this. To read music, you must learn it as well.

Question #1: Do I love music enough to learn how to read music and play a musical instrument?

Learning to Read Music for Adults

If you missed out on music lessons as a child or simply forgot what you
learned, it's not too late to develop musical skills. Adults can learn to read
music. In truth, a person who has a real desire to learn might achieve more than a child who is being pushed to learn.

Why? As an adult, you already understand the great potential of having this skill. Having a passion for music will drive you to practice often and develop your skills quickly. Only those adults and children who have a desire to continue with music will actually achieve the skill for life!

Question #2: Are you willing to learn music and be dedicated to practice at this stage of your life?

A Goal for Your Music Skills

Another determining factor for learning to read music is your reason for
learning. There should be a goal in mind while developing this skill. Whether
it's to play an instrument in church, at special gatherings or to have a career in
music, you should have a goal in mind.

With a goal, you'll be pushed to learn even when you don't feel like taking a lesson. This is similar to taking college courses.
You attend the classes because you must if you are going to have a successful
career in that field.

Question #3: Do you have a goal or reason for learning to read music?

If you answered "Yes" to all of the above, read the questions below.

Which instrument do I want to play?
If a skilled music teacher is not available, am I willing to teach myself through online training?
When my music lessons begin, can I dedicate at least 15 to 30 minutes per day to practice?

If you answered "Yes" to all these questions, you're ready to pursue music
lessons.

Start developing your musical skills today to discover a life-long
treasure!